One Small Step for Riverside...
One Giant Leap for our Online Congregation!
Hello!
Where do I begin? There’s so much we could talk about!
Our Midweek Bible Study is back and we had an incredible conversation about Leviticus this week. (Join us for next week’s session!)
I had a lot of fun talking about a theology of Earth Day on a run earlier this week.
Bible in a Minute is eight chapters deep in the Gospel of Matthew. Did you see the webinar we had last week to celebrate completing all 929 chapters of the Hebrew Scriptures?
But I’m not going to talk about any of those incredible things. I want to talk about a small but incredibly significant change that was just passed by the congregation at a recent congregational meeting: Online members can now vote in the annual budget meeting!
I know, I know, voting on a budget might not seem like it’s as much fun as a sermon on the run or a webinar with two dozen amazing faith leaders, but hear me out. Making it possible for online members to vote on things like the church budget (not to mention anything else that we vote on at congregational meetings) is a way of tearing down a window and expanding the room to have more tables and chairs.
It’s easy for online congregants to experience church as if we were peeking in through a window and watching it all happen. It’s something for those people and we just get to watch. But the goal is always to remodel the house so that there is room for all of us to gather and engage together. We are always working on ways to do this more and more in our Sunday morning worship gatherings but this shift in who can vote is huge. Suddenly online members are more than just a name on a roster but are a voice and a vote in all maters of church life and business.
But here’s the thing. If you are a member of The Riverside Church and you want to be able to vote online, you need to register! (Don’t worry, no birth certificates and passports required for this voter registration.) Click here to fill out a simple form and our team will be on it to get you all checked in and set up.
But that’s not all. It might be helpful for you to know what exactly you’ll be voting on!
On Wednesday, May 13 at 6:30 pm ET there will be an online budget forum. And yes, you should attend! This will be your chance to hear about the proposed budget, ask your questions, and be prepared to vote at the Annual Meeting.
On Sunday, May 17 at 1:00 pm ET we will have our Annual Meeting where we will gather to discuss and vote on the budget. (Link coming soon to register and join on Zoom.)
All this to say, your first step is to register to vote online. And your next step is to learn more about the budget and find your seat at the newly created table so you can participate with your voice and vote in the 2026 Annual Meeting.
Rev. Jim Keat
Minister of Digital Worship & Education
Also, on Sunday, May 10 in Virtual Coffee Hour we’ll talk through this all more, making sure everyone knows everything they need to know. And this Sunday, May 3, there will be the Lay Leadership Candidate Forum where you can get to know the people running for elected congregant leadership positions!
The Word Made Fresh
What if the miracle in Acts 16 isn’t as clean as we’ve been told?
This week’s conversation lingers with the unnamed slave girl—the one whose “liberation” sets everything else in motion… and then disappears from the story. Was she truly set free, or simply made more vulnerable?
Rev. Adriene Thorne pushes us beyond easy readings and into harder questions: about power, about harm done in the name of help, and about the kind of faith that doesn’t rush past suffering but learns to sit in it.
It’s not neat. It’s not easy.
But it might be more honest than what we’ve been taught to expect.
Well, This Was a Lot of Fun!
Recently I was invited to preach a sermon for Day1, formerly known as “The Protestant Hour” and the voice of the historic Protestant churches, presenting outstanding preachers from the mainline denominations.
I wrote a sermon on a text I had never preached before (John 10:1-10) and then preached it on a Zoom call for the Day1 team to record and turn into something magical.
And to make it even more fun, there was a bit of “get to know Rev. Jim” interview and “let’s talk about what you just preached” conversation.
In fact, here’s the whole episode that you can listen to right now. Enjoy!
Community Gathering
Thursday, April 23 and 30 at 7:00 pm ET on Zoom
Let's connect! This series will invite us to connect in deeper and more meaningful ways, deepening our relationships and the community we have come to know and love. Join us for these three weeks as we will get to know one another (and ourselves!) in new ways.
Coming Sooooooon!
Mark your calendar because we’ve got a few things happening online that you won’t want to miss!:
Thursday, April 23 at 7:00 pm ET: Short Circle Community Gathering
Sunday, April 26 at 9:30 am ET: Open Bible Study with Rev. Jim Keat
Sunday, April 26 at 10:30 am ET: Sunday Morning Worship
Sunday, April 26 at 12:30 pm ET: Sermon Talkback (Virtual Coffee Hour)
Monday, April 27 at 6:00 pm ET: North Start Bible Study
Wednesday, April 29 at 12:30 pm ET: Midweek Bible Study (Leviticus 8-9)
You made it!
One of the perks of running my kids to school in the morning is I can stop by and get a couple bags of groceries for the run home. (It also helps when it finally feels like spring!)
I’d love to hear about what you’ve been up to. Leave a comment or send me an email and share something from your week!